She called Dalton next and practically screamed at him when he greeted her.
“Dalton, you have to come home. Luke is missing. I think Mrs. Phelps kidnapped him. She’s Liam Kelton’s sister. They’ve been behind everything from the start.”
“Whoa, calm down. Luke isn’t in the house? Did she take him to the doctor?”
“No, I already checked with their office. I have an awful feeling about this.” Her voice caught on a sob. If anything bad happened to Luke, she’d never forgive herself.
“Maybe she brought him over to her house. Did you check there?”
“I can do that. It’ll take me twenty minutes to reach her place, though.”
“I’ll meet you,” Dalton told her. “Park a few doors down, and don’t do anything until I arrive.”
Marla made it to Tally’s neighborhood in record time and searched for the address. She found it easily enough and parked farther down the road as Dalton had suggested. Noticing that he’d arrived ahead of her, she walked toward him along the sidewalk.
The sitter inhabited a ranch-style house with a gray shingle roof. Sparse landscaping decorated the lawn that needed weed control. The driveway was empty, which didn’t bode well.
“Why would Mrs. Phelps take Luke?” Marla asked her husband, where they stood out of view from the windows. “To blackmail us into keeping quiet about Tally’s relationship to Liam? They must have been working together ever since Tally visited him in Sunny Grove. He wanted to make sure Tally wouldn’t spoil his plans, and so he planted his sister here as a spy. No wonder Mrs. Phelps was always ready to come over at a moment’s notice.”
“Let’s not speculate. We’ll find Luke and worry about their reasoning later.”
“There’s no other car here. Did you peek inside the garage window?”
“The garage is empty. I’ll ring the doorbell. Keep an eye out in case she escapes through another exit.” Dalton loped over and rang the bell. No response. Same with rapping his knuckles on the door.
“I’ll have to get a warrant,” he said, his voice doubtful.
“You have reasonable cause for a kidnapping. And you’re with me.” Marla withdrew her lock picks. “I’m not very good at this, but I don’t need court authorization.”
“Don’t tell anybody I helped you break in.”
Together they got the door open and charged inside. Dalton headed to the right. Marla took the left-hand direction. She looked in one empty bedroom after another.
They met up back in the foyer.
“You won’t believe it, but the kitchen has few dishes and even less food in the refrigerator,” Dalton said in a somber tone.
“She doesn’t even live here.” Marla’s shoulders sagged at the full implications of their mistaken trust.
“Hold on, I’ll make a few calls.” His face grim, Dalton took out his cell phone and turned away. When he got off the line a few minutes later, his voice sounded triumphant. “Okay, I got another address. It’s where she’d lived previously, according to her driving record. And I put out an alert for her car. It’s a good thing you took a photo of her license tag.”
“Where is this other place?”
“Off Griffin Road to the west. Hopefully, she’ll be there and not on her way to Orlando. I’ve notified the Sunny Grove PD to keep a watch on Kelton’s place.”
“Why would she bring Luke there?” Marla slid into the passenger seat of his car, preferring for him to drive. She could pick up her vehicle back here later.
“Kelton could want the kid as a hostage. I just spoke to Louise Harrison’s superior. The politician is involved in a multi-state insurance fraud scheme. They’ve been keeping a tight lid on things because they wanted to track the leaders.”
“Adding kidnapping to the charges won’t help his case. Could he have ordered Darryl to cause the accident that killed Ken?”
Dalton, eyes on the road, gave a curt nod. “I’d say it’s likely.”
“We have to save Luke. He’s sick, and there’s no telling what that man will do to him.” She wrung her hands in her lap, wanting to scream and cry at the same time. Once again, she’d failed a child under her care. She was wrong about being a good mother. It wasn’t a role she deserved.
“It’s not your fault, Marla. Mrs. Phelps fooled both of us. Don’t blame yourself.”
Dalton slowed as they approached the cottage-style house on a large tract of land bordered by a canal in back. Live oaks and cabbage palms decorated a huge expanse of lawn.
Marla sat up straight, a flurry of hope surging through her. The babysitter’s car sat in the driveway. As Dalton pulled up to the curb a short distance away, Mrs. Phelps came out of the house rolling a couple of suitcases. She popped her trunk to load them inside.
“She’s leaving. Where’s Luke?” Marla said in a choked voice. Her hand on the door handle, she tensed, ready to confront the woman.
“Easy, Marla. We don’t want to spook her into doing anything stupid.”
“I should talk to her. You’ll scare her off.”
“I’m best equipped to handle this. She might have a weapon.”
Marla’s stomach flip-flopped. “Call for backup. Meanwhile, I can distract her while you go inside to look for Luke. If she has a gun, you can circle around us from behind.”
“You should stay in the car.”
“I can’t wait here, not with Luke’s life at stake.” Once Dalton had made his call, she shoved open the door. She hopped out and hurried toward Mrs. Phelps.
“Her name is Daphne,” Dalton called after her, before he disappeared around the side of the house.
“Hello, Mrs. Phelps,” Marla said upon sauntering into view. “Going somewhere?”
The older woman slammed down the car trunk and spun to face her with a reddened complexion. “Marla! How did you find me?”
“I have my sources. Where’s Luke?”
“He’s safe inside. I’m taking him with me. He deserves to have a caretaker who’s related to him.”
Marla scanned the open garage. Various gardening implements lay about amid other clutter like a usual South Florida home. Without basements, houses needed storage space, and the garage often served that purpose. She edged closer to the wall, spying a rake mounted there.
“You’re his great-aunt, aren’t you? We’ve discovered your relation to Liam Kelton. He and Tally’s mother Lilly had a fling many years back. Tally was the result, but Lilly never told Liam she was pregnant. That makes Luke his grandson.”
Mrs. Phelps sneered at her. “The past doesn’t matter now. Luke is mine. I’ll raise him as my own. Liam promised me I’d have the baby after he removed Tally from the equation.”
“What?” Marla felt her eyes bulge.
“You don’t get it, do you? We captured Louise Harrison as a ploy to lure Ken out of the house. With him gone, Darryl was supposed to go inside, disable Tally, and steal Luke for me. But Tally called me over to babysit while she accompanied Ken. Darryl had to change his plans. He followed their car and bumped Ken off the road.”
“So Tally was the target? Darryl’s orders weren’t merely to disable her, were they? Your brother wanted my friend out of the way so she couldn’t ruin his marriage and cause a scandal.”
The babysitter gave a smug grin. “We got rid of Louise who’d figured out our game. Liam wouldn’t let anything stand in his path.”
“What about Ken? Louise was his handler for the insurance fraud division.”
“Liam wasn’t worried on that score. He’d set Darryl up as the fall guy. He didn’t think anyone could trace things back to him. Ken’s death was an accident.”
Marla kept talking to give Dalton time to get inside and find Luke. “You had ample chances to take Luke earlier. Why now?”
“My brother is helping us leave the country. Otherwise, you and your nuisance husband would track us down. I’d be constantly looking over my shoulder. But Liam wasn’t ready until now. Your visit pushed him into taking action.”
“Wait, Liam
is here?” Good God, they hadn’t expected two adversaries. Where was Dalton? Had he made it inside the house? Did he know Liam would be present?
“What have you done with Luke?” Marla’s pitch rose as fear engulfed her.
“Come and see for yourself. I’m his auntie. I’ve taken good care of the little guy.”
Marla followed her into the kitchen. Mrs. Phelps halted and gave a choked gasp as she glanced out the window.
Liam stood outside next to a canal at the rear of the property. He held Luke in his grasp. Dalton faced him from several feet away, weapon in hand.
Mrs. Phelps gave a shriek and dashed outside via the family room sliding glass doors. “What are you doing?” she cried to her brother.
Marla hot-footed it after her. “Daphne, wait.”
The politician poised Luke over the water. “I’ll drop him if you fire at me, Detective. Lower your weapon, and let us go.”
Dalton cast Marla a grim look. “He flew into town earlier. We should have anticipated his involvement.”
“You two have ruined everything,” Liam said, his face mottled. “I’ve got enough money stowed away in the Caymans so we can have a nice life there. But I would have liked to achieve CFO for the state. Now I’ll never realize that dream.”
“You won’t realize anything except a prison sentence if you don’t hand Luke over to us.” Dalton placed his gun carefully on the grass, while keeping both hands in view. Marla was aware he had a spare weapon holstered at his ankle. “Do you really want to abandon your current family? How will they feel when this comes to light? Surrender now and face lesser charges.”
Marla could barely breathe. If he dropped the baby … Oh, God.
“Daphne, don’t let him do this,” Marla pleaded. “You want to raise Luke as your own child, don’t you? He’ll take that chance away from you if he hurts Luke. Saving his skin is more important to him than the baby.”
“Give him to me.” Mrs. Phelps approached her brother with her arms outstretched. “They’ll leave us alone as long as we have him.”
Liam eyed Dalton. “Will they? We won’t get far before we’ll be stopped.”
“Then let’s tie them up. We don’t have to go to the airport. We can hire a boat to get to the islands.”
“Sorry, but the kid will drag us down. It’ll be easier without him.” He raised his arms, holding Luke threateningly over the rippling water.
Luke wailed, his cries stabbing Marla’s heart. In the near distance, sirens added to the noise.
“No-o-o!” Mrs. Phelps rushed her brother, tackling him away from the canal.
Dalton raced forward, catching Luke as the pair tumbled to the ground. “Marla, come get the baby.”
She raced over and snatched Luke from his hands. “Oh, my sweet child.” She cuddled him close, while Dalton retrieved his weapon and aimed it at the hapless duo.
Luke’s howls ceased, and a smile lit his face. Focused on the child, Marla didn’t even blink an eye when backup arrived and uniformed officers rushed to their aid.
Chapter Twenty
“I’m glad Luke is okay,” Nicole said at work on Thursday afternoon. She’d accosted Marla for details on the case during a lull in their schedules.
“Thank goodness, he didn’t suffer any ill effects from his adventures.” Marla had dropped Luke off at day care that morning, grateful his fever had abated as suddenly as it had come. That didn’t matter now. She never wanted to have a fright again like they’d had yesterday when the sitter stole him.
She rubbed her belly, wondering what anxieties she’d face if she ever had a child of her own. She’d saved Luke, and that had allayed any lingering doubts she might have had about her worthiness to be a mother. A warm glow filled her. At any moment, new life might be taking form inside her. Now that she’d made the choice, she wanted it sooner rather than later.
“Was Liam Kelton the so-called friend who called the hospital to inquire about Tally’s condition?” Nicole asked from the adjacent station.
“Yes, Liam had been afraid Tally might wake up and tell the cops what she knew. Besides their personal connection, he wasn’t sure how much Ken had told her about the insurance fraud scheme.” Marla stood nearby, not wishing their voices to carry.
“What type of fraud was it?” Nicole loved a good mystery and had hounded Robyn for details of their trip to Sunny Grove.
“People would sink their own boats and cars, and then report them stolen,” Marla answered. “Fifty-four cars were found at the bottom of a lake in Boca Raton. The Lord only knows how many boats were scuttled over time. Darryl had a hand in that part, but he was simply a player in Liam’s game. The tentacles reach into other states through the politician’s network.”
“What tipped Ken off that something wasn’t right?”
“A customer complained that his boat had vanished from its mooring. Ken ran a background check on the guy, and there weren’t any financial judgements against him, bankruptcies pending, or things like that. But boats just don’t vanish for no reason. Ken suspected a false claim, although this particular client was innocent.”
“So some of the boat owners colluded with Darryl and his gang, but not all of them?” Nicole asked for clarification.
“That’s correct. Dalton visited Ken’s agency this morning to have a long talk with the three remaining employees. Shawna will run operations for now. I’m not sure what Tally will want to do when she’s able to take over. She’d be better off if she sold the business.”
“But none of the rest of them had taken part in this scam?”
Marla shook her head. “Shawna had been having an affair with the financial planner. They’d argued because he wanted to break things off, but neither one was involved in the fraud scheme. They’re good at their jobs.”
“And the other staff member?”
Marla glanced at another stylist working on a customer as the smell of holding spray entered her nose. “Jeri lied on her application. Dalton discovered she’d never gone to college. Ken had found this out and meant to fire her. She’ll be leaving the agency. I feel bad for her, because her daughter is ill, and they need the health insurance. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’d falsified her credentials.”
Nicole glanced toward the front desk as the bell over the door chimed. Her next client had arrived. The sleek stylist went over to greet the woman and tell her to get shampooed.
“What about those friends of Tally from Boca Raton?” Nicole asked upon her return.
“The leader of the tea ladies was running a prostitution ring. Dalton said the vice squad up there is handling things. It’s true the Russian mob was involved, but they had no interest in Tally. She wasn’t ever suspected of being a mole and didn’t know enough to cause a stir.”
“Will the tea circle continue to meet? I thought that was a cool idea.”
“No, they’ve disbanded. The other women don’t want to be tainted by their association to Rissa.”
“Darryl was the one who tried to run you down in the parking lot? Not the Russians?”
“Yes, Darryl didn’t like how I was poking around. And he wasn’t sure how much Tally had told me.”
“So all’s well that ends well, huh? It’s sad that Tally and Ken had to pay the price.”
Marla hung her head. “Don’t forget Ryan and Louise. At least we’ve learned the truth. I wish Tally had told me about her father, though.” She still felt hurt that Tally hadn’t confided in her. Where would their friendship stand when Tally woke up?
Perhaps she’d been embarrassed by it all, afraid Marla’s respect for her would diminish upon learning she had a different parent. Why would that matter? Tally should have known Marla wouldn’t care. But until her friend regained consciousness, certain questions had to remain unanswered.
“Did Dalton’s tech experts ever crack Tally’s iPad?” Nicole asked.
“Oh, yes. She’d done several searches on Liam Kelton and some on Rissa, believe it or not. Maybe she suspecte
d something was wrong with that group. Her emails didn’t show anything significant.”
“So what now?” Nicole gave Marla a questioning glance.
She brushed down her long skirt. “I’m going to notify Tally’s landlord that she’ll be relocating her shop. It’s unreasonable for her to stay there when she’s the only holdout. The other shopkeepers would resent her, and the landlord will file for eviction. This way, she’ll qualify for his relocation bonus. Maybe she’ll find a place closer to Luke’s day care center.”
“What about the stock in her store?”
Marla arched her eyebrows. “I’ve had a great idea in that regard. We have space available in our spa lounge. We can sell her clothing and accessories there until she reopens her store elsewhere.”
Nicole gave an approving smile. “That’s very generous of you, Marla.”
“It’s the least I can do. Besides, it might be fun for our customers.”
“You’re already doing more than enough by taking care of Luke.”
“True, but this will solve one of Tally’s problems. She’ll have plenty on her plate in terms of Ken’s loss.”
Nicole got busy with her client. As Marla rose and wandered toward Robyn to see when her next client was due, her cell phone rang.
Oh, no. It was the hospital. Her heart fluttering, she answered the call.
“Hi, this is the nurse caring for your friend, Tally Riggs.”
“What’s wrong? Has something happened?” Marla choked out the words. Tally couldn’t have taken a turn for the worse, not when everything else had been resolved.
“A miracle has happened, ma’am. Tally is awake, and she’s asking for you.”
Author’s Note
Hopefully, happier times are in store for Tally as she recovers from the accident and resumes an active life. She and Marla have to mend their friendship, but this is bound to happen as Marla is a forgiving soul. Tally will need her friend’s strength to move forward. In return, Marla will ask for Tally’s advice as she embarks on a new adventure she didn’t anticipate.
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